16 Days to Go!

On December 16th, 1965, “Jingle Bells” became the first song broadcast from space when Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra played a Christmas-themed prank from their Gemini 6 space craft.

While in space, they sent this report to Mission Control:

“Gemini VII, this is Gemini VI. We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, up in a polar orbit. He’s in a very low trajectory traveling from north to south and has a very high climbing ratio. It looks like it might even be a … Very low. Looks like he might be going to reenter soon. Stand by one … You might just let me try to pick up that thing.

The astronauts then produced a smuggled harmonica and sleigh bells and broadcast a rendition of “Jingle Bells”.